First time dog owner - share your experience!
Discussion
Having posted a thread on here and had extremely helpful responses we have decided to get a Sproker and, after much research, are on the waiting list with a seemingly reputable breeder. Fingers crossed we should welcome our new family member early next year.
I am now after some advice about what we need to buy/consider etc prior to the dog arriving home.
I've had a quick look at insurance and am quite sure we want one of the life time policies but not really sure how much of a claim limit is reasonable. I have also been told dental work is not usually covered and can be expensive, any tips gratefully received!
I think a tracker is a good idea - any recommendations?
Raw food has been recommended - any experiences of suppliers welcome
Obviously there are all the other bits and bobs to buy (bed, lead, collar etc), anything that isn't obvious I will need?
General advice is welcome, there's no substitute for experience as they say!
I am now after some advice about what we need to buy/consider etc prior to the dog arriving home.
I've had a quick look at insurance and am quite sure we want one of the life time policies but not really sure how much of a claim limit is reasonable. I have also been told dental work is not usually covered and can be expensive, any tips gratefully received!
I think a tracker is a good idea - any recommendations?
Raw food has been recommended - any experiences of suppliers welcome
Obviously there are all the other bits and bobs to buy (bed, lead, collar etc), anything that isn't obvious I will need?
General advice is welcome, there's no substitute for experience as they say!
No idea on Sprockers, but insurance for German Shepherds was insane. We’ve banked the money and are currently £9k up on the old dog and £1.8k on the young dog, which should cover most eventualities.
Other than that, expensive dog stuff is pointless, it gets eaten just as fast as the cheap stuff.
Get some sleep, because you’re likely to have a few sleepless nights when you get home.
Other than that, expensive dog stuff is pointless, it gets eaten just as fast as the cheap stuff.
Get some sleep, because you’re likely to have a few sleepless nights when you get home.
Training. Training. Training.
Socialisation. Socialisation. Socialisation.
Get that right and it’s relatively easy!
Insurance wise - Petplan are market leaders though we’ve just moved to bought by many as PPs renewal this year was silly.
Lifetime plan is important - an ongoing issue can cost if it’s not covered. Vet costs are extortionate - saying that even though my sister is a practice manager and head nurse. There’s no NHS for pets - I know several people with bills of £10k.
Example, our dogs costs:
Lou - 7 year old pedigree miniature English bull terrier - 1 claim 3 years ago for a urinary issue - £140 a month to insure.
Duncan - 4 year old rescue staffy - 1 claim for broken nail removal - £67 a month to insure.
Halti harnesses are very good if he/she is a puller but you won’t know that for some time.
Expensive collars are usually not worth it as they’ll get worn out - we change collars twice a year usually. Leads - quick release and short works for us but lots of people use long leads.
Socialisation. Socialisation. Socialisation.
Get that right and it’s relatively easy!
Insurance wise - Petplan are market leaders though we’ve just moved to bought by many as PPs renewal this year was silly.
Lifetime plan is important - an ongoing issue can cost if it’s not covered. Vet costs are extortionate - saying that even though my sister is a practice manager and head nurse. There’s no NHS for pets - I know several people with bills of £10k.
Example, our dogs costs:
Lou - 7 year old pedigree miniature English bull terrier - 1 claim 3 years ago for a urinary issue - £140 a month to insure.
Duncan - 4 year old rescue staffy - 1 claim for broken nail removal - £67 a month to insure.
Halti harnesses are very good if he/she is a puller but you won’t know that for some time.
Expensive collars are usually not worth it as they’ll get worn out - we change collars twice a year usually. Leads - quick release and short works for us but lots of people use long leads.
Thanks for the replies... Dad will be a working cocker. The insurance comments are interesting, brought by many seems to cover dental and comes in at about £35 pm for 15k of cover (lifetime), or they do a fixed for life with 7k cover pa for £54, again lifetime but with a maximum claim total of 20k over the life of the policy. I was thinking the fixed for life one wasn't worth it but having seen the above am now wondering if it is! Works out at £7776 over 12 years for up to £20,000 of cover....
I guess it's how long is a piece of string, but would I be likely to spend over 7k on vets over 12 years??
I guess it's how long is a piece of string, but would I be likely to spend over 7k on vets over 12 years??
We got a 4 month old Husky (local couple couldn't look after her anymore as the husband was seriously ill and in and out of hospital) she was well toilet trained already but we just carried on with training and socialising.
Shes very good at everything apart from recall (shes good at this for a husky but not in general as a dog)
We now have a 7 month old Wolfdog as well, lots of training and socialising and hes very good as well, both pretty well behaved, the wolfdog is a lot better at recall. Quite scary looking when he comes running towards you but hes the biggest softie going.
We feed them both raw, from a copy called raw made simple. gets delivered in a big hamper.
We have insured both, first year of having the husky, in the 11th month she was taken ill with "flu" spent 3 days in and out of the vets on drips etc and cost came to about £1,000 at the time she was insured for £1500 per illness. Upped them both to 5k per illness now. Some people are really lucky and dont insure them and save ££££.
Amazes me around our local park the amount of dog owners who don't want to socialise their new dog (mainly little "toy" dog owners).
Shes very good at everything apart from recall (shes good at this for a husky but not in general as a dog)
We now have a 7 month old Wolfdog as well, lots of training and socialising and hes very good as well, both pretty well behaved, the wolfdog is a lot better at recall. Quite scary looking when he comes running towards you but hes the biggest softie going.
We feed them both raw, from a copy called raw made simple. gets delivered in a big hamper.
We have insured both, first year of having the husky, in the 11th month she was taken ill with "flu" spent 3 days in and out of the vets on drips etc and cost came to about £1,000 at the time she was insured for £1500 per illness. Upped them both to 5k per illness now. Some people are really lucky and dont insure them and save ££££.
Amazes me around our local park the amount of dog owners who don't want to socialise their new dog (mainly little "toy" dog owners).
pidsy said:
Training. Training. Training.
Socialisation. Socialisation. Socialisation.
.
This, which is a struggle for new owners as they can't just buy it off amazon and say 'tick, its done' Socialisation. Socialisation. Socialisation.
.
I see many posts on a FB group I follow with people who ask 'what can I buy to stop pulling'. Everyone wants to buy a harness and forget about it rather than training the dog.
Anyways...this is what we bought
Stainless steel dog bowls
Raised dog bowl feeder (I made my own
)Some cheap beds from Pets At Home
Some old duvets
a lead and collar (Kennel also gave us one along with Muzzel which he hated)
A jacket
Food and treats
A few toys
A Crate....well we had one for a greyhound and they are big crates.
He managed to bust out of his on night two and never used it since. we were fine with that.
We also bought a dog guard for the car as well.
Later on, we also bought:
Kong treat toy
Multiple jackets including high viz
dog walking bag (for treats and poo bags) l
Many toys. He liked squeaky ones.
As for insurance. We had insurance from Sainsburys and it was about £25pm (Ex racing greyhound) and it paid out about £1500 for us. Sadly we lost the dog after just three short years. That last trip to the vet will stay with stay with me for life.
Nighttime crate training has worked for us.
Puppy school every Saturday morning has been great fun, for both owner and dog! We’ve learnt a huge amount.
Plenty of socializing in every situation imaginable from day 1.
Recall is still very much a work in progress as ours is utterly fixated on snuffling down mouse holes. We keep her on a 15 metre loose lead in the fields. Dachshunds aren’t great for recall.
Enjoy!
Puppy school every Saturday morning has been great fun, for both owner and dog! We’ve learnt a huge amount.
Plenty of socializing in every situation imaginable from day 1.
Recall is still very much a work in progress as ours is utterly fixated on snuffling down mouse holes. We keep her on a 15 metre loose lead in the fields. Dachshunds aren’t great for recall.
Enjoy!
juice said:
On the practical side: Nail Clipping, get them used to it. Similar for any ear-cleaning etc that they might need. Lots of treats and praise at an early ages prevents lots of issues as the grow into a stroppy teenager !
Echoed. Just get them used to being handled/touched in general, like they might be at a vets. But as juice says, especially their paws, because some dogs really hate it in later life; and definitely ears if you're getting a spaniel, because they can suffer with ear issues.also with pet insurance, go with a condition for life policy not just a lifetime cover, that will usually pay out for 12 months or a value then exclude the condition totally, so if its a crucial ligament operation, all other 3 legs would be excluded after the first year, and we expect to see on our policy another claim for the opposite side due to extra wear and tear on the opposite joint.
good luck
good luck
edthedead said:
I've had a quick look at insurance and am quite sure we want one of the life time policies but not really sure how much of a claim limit is reasonable. I have also been told dental work is not usually covered and can be expensive, any tips gratefully received!
With regards to dental, our 12 year old labrador has just had his teeth deep cleaned by the vet, with 5 removed, total cost £350. We've tried our best to keep them clean but over time but it's not easy explaining to a dog why you want to brush their teeth!We stopped insurance a few years ago, although he's perfectly healthy there were too many exclusions to justify the cost, plus worst case scenario if we were hit with a £3-4k vets bill we'd be able to cover it, whereas a few years ago money was a bit tighter for us so insurance was peace of mind.
Mind you, we still have 3rd party cover. I can't see us ever needing it, but in the very unlikely event he managed to escape, cause an accident or be accused of biting someone we would be covered, so would suggest this as a bare minimum.
There's so much stuff, I'm not sure where to begin
Training is the top priority from the earliest age. I'd recommend you do your research and find an APDT run trainer (Puppy School belong to APDT). But don't stop at that, continue to build it into your life with your dog. For example; scentwork, tracking, tricks etc
Take your pup out and about to loads of places, lots of times when they are small. Always have your rewards with you and don't let the pup be overwhelmed. What they remember in the first few months will stick with them for ever.
Socialisation - it is very very important - but this is not just letting dogs freely run and play, it needs to be done under the supervision of a properly qualified person (avoid the puppy play sessions in a pet shop or dog walker like the plague). Socialising with 'known' safe dogs of all different breeds is really important but it should be short and sweet, not prolonged and always rewarded and supervised.
My youngest, I took out to different places every day for the first couple of months and trained him in different locations so that he learned to maintain focus on me with huge distractions. As well as being confident in chaotic environments (he will be a sport dog).
Another factor which lots of people overlook is understanding your pups physical needs as they grow. Growth plates and the correct type/amount of exercise is really important to prevent injury until 12 months old.
Think about your lifestyle and what your dog needs to know for a happy life (eg if you live in a town then early positive experiences of busses, bicycles, traffic, noise etc). But also consider your dog's preferences - what would they enjoy that would suit their breed traits?
Training is never finished. Every experience with you is an opportunity to continue that, no matter what age.
If you're on Facebook, avoid unqualified advice from dog owners groups - there is a wealth of crap out there. Follow some professional organisations like the APDT who share useful and sound advice regularly.
Good luck with your pup
Training is the top priority from the earliest age. I'd recommend you do your research and find an APDT run trainer (Puppy School belong to APDT). But don't stop at that, continue to build it into your life with your dog. For example; scentwork, tracking, tricks etc
Take your pup out and about to loads of places, lots of times when they are small. Always have your rewards with you and don't let the pup be overwhelmed. What they remember in the first few months will stick with them for ever.
Socialisation - it is very very important - but this is not just letting dogs freely run and play, it needs to be done under the supervision of a properly qualified person (avoid the puppy play sessions in a pet shop or dog walker like the plague). Socialising with 'known' safe dogs of all different breeds is really important but it should be short and sweet, not prolonged and always rewarded and supervised.
My youngest, I took out to different places every day for the first couple of months and trained him in different locations so that he learned to maintain focus on me with huge distractions. As well as being confident in chaotic environments (he will be a sport dog).
Another factor which lots of people overlook is understanding your pups physical needs as they grow. Growth plates and the correct type/amount of exercise is really important to prevent injury until 12 months old.
Think about your lifestyle and what your dog needs to know for a happy life (eg if you live in a town then early positive experiences of busses, bicycles, traffic, noise etc). But also consider your dog's preferences - what would they enjoy that would suit their breed traits?
Training is never finished. Every experience with you is an opportunity to continue that, no matter what age.
If you're on Facebook, avoid unqualified advice from dog owners groups - there is a wealth of crap out there. Follow some professional organisations like the APDT who share useful and sound advice regularly.
Good luck with your pup
Edited by parakitaMol. on Wednesday 26th August 17:56
At work and sleepy so only a few pointers from me
Socialising is important, even before they have had their injections, take them out and carry them around the block regularly to get used to sounds, smells etc, then when they are able to, interact with people and other dogs, you soon get to know which are friendly and approachable.
Insurance initially we had pet plan, because the breeder had set up a short term policy when we purchased, so carried it on for a few years. Moved to bought by many this year as PP upped the premium higher than I liked, lifetime cover of 15k a year.
Had to claim start of year after a nasty bout of gastrointestinal hemorrhaging, in vets 11 nights and 7k vet bill, all covered without fuss. Lots say self insure and a big bill will never come, but it can quite quickly and if you haven't the disposable income to hand, its an issue.
Beds we started with a crate, and you need to be firm first few night if the pup starts crying, do not, and I mean not, go and comfort it, because its game over then, and it will cry because it knows it will get attention.
After a while they will regard it as their safe space and go in by themselves, whether you long term crate its entirely up to you, we don't and he has beds upstairs and down, and sleeps where he wants to .
Grooming, depending on breed and coat can cost, we have ours done every 5 weeks at £35 a go, some do it themselves, having cut my own hair for the last 20 years, I'm not having him look as bad, find a good groomer and stick with them as the dog will get to know them and be comfortable with it.
Raw food we feed Cotswold frozen sausages, defrost and cut what we need, 10kg dog we feed 125g per meal twice a day at 4 years old, a 1kg pack lasts 4 days @£5.25 a pack, puppies need 3 meals a day to start as they are growing, feeding guidelines differ.
Harness and leads we use eazyfit, which have proven robust, he's not a puller generally walking, but if he sees something of interest he gets a hurry on, so prefer a harness to a coller so not to strain his neck.
Toys lots of the bloody things especially when teething, otherwise everything will get chewed, have a box in the corner of the living room, and constantly filling it up, only for the little git to get everything out again, worse than kids dogs.
Wouldn't be without him.
Socialising is important, even before they have had their injections, take them out and carry them around the block regularly to get used to sounds, smells etc, then when they are able to, interact with people and other dogs, you soon get to know which are friendly and approachable.
Insurance initially we had pet plan, because the breeder had set up a short term policy when we purchased, so carried it on for a few years. Moved to bought by many this year as PP upped the premium higher than I liked, lifetime cover of 15k a year.
Had to claim start of year after a nasty bout of gastrointestinal hemorrhaging, in vets 11 nights and 7k vet bill, all covered without fuss. Lots say self insure and a big bill will never come, but it can quite quickly and if you haven't the disposable income to hand, its an issue.
Beds we started with a crate, and you need to be firm first few night if the pup starts crying, do not, and I mean not, go and comfort it, because its game over then, and it will cry because it knows it will get attention.
After a while they will regard it as their safe space and go in by themselves, whether you long term crate its entirely up to you, we don't and he has beds upstairs and down, and sleeps where he wants to .
Grooming, depending on breed and coat can cost, we have ours done every 5 weeks at £35 a go, some do it themselves, having cut my own hair for the last 20 years, I'm not having him look as bad, find a good groomer and stick with them as the dog will get to know them and be comfortable with it.
Raw food we feed Cotswold frozen sausages, defrost and cut what we need, 10kg dog we feed 125g per meal twice a day at 4 years old, a 1kg pack lasts 4 days @£5.25 a pack, puppies need 3 meals a day to start as they are growing, feeding guidelines differ.
Harness and leads we use eazyfit, which have proven robust, he's not a puller generally walking, but if he sees something of interest he gets a hurry on, so prefer a harness to a coller so not to strain his neck.
Toys lots of the bloody things especially when teething, otherwise everything will get chewed, have a box in the corner of the living room, and constantly filling it up, only for the little git to get everything out again, worse than kids dogs.
Wouldn't be without him.
A lot has been covered already but just enjoy it. Make sure you take the time to train and socialise the puppy from an early age which will only make your life easier in the long run.
Food: We feed raw for both of ours. Its a brand from the local pet store, and we add in veg to increase the fibre in the diet. So many options out there, try what ever works for you.
Beds: Both initially slept in crates, but now have beds in the house, but just as comfy sleeping on the carpet haha!
Training: Both went to puppy classes, but have just started gun dog training to add extra skills. Make sure you spend time doing this as we didn't for our first and he can be a pain the arse at times.
Dog Walks: Not sure on your lifestyle but we have a dog walker twice a week. Gets them out with other dogs, and give them a break from us. They learn how to play in a group and pack walk. You may not need it, but we find it useful.
Food: We feed raw for both of ours. Its a brand from the local pet store, and we add in veg to increase the fibre in the diet. So many options out there, try what ever works for you.
Beds: Both initially slept in crates, but now have beds in the house, but just as comfy sleeping on the carpet haha!
Training: Both went to puppy classes, but have just started gun dog training to add extra skills. Make sure you spend time doing this as we didn't for our first and he can be a pain the arse at times.
Dog Walks: Not sure on your lifestyle but we have a dog walker twice a week. Gets them out with other dogs, and give them a break from us. They learn how to play in a group and pack walk. You may not need it, but we find it useful.
Early days you will probably encounter a lot of mouthing as the teething element sets is - we found that freezing appropriate fruits and vegetables (carrot sticks are your friend here) was a massive help
Decide on the rules that you want to implement from the start and stick to them. Ours is allowed on sofas but does not go upstairs (baby gate at bottom of steps) and sleeps downstairs in his crate quite happily - when it's bedtime we tell him to get his blanket and he picks it up and takes it into his bed before we shut the door and say good night
Spaniels are notorious pullers on lead and though we have tried we cannot get ours out of the habit (2 year old working cocker). Harnesses are not the best solution as they allow them to build their power up. Best solution that we have found is a figure of eight lead - he's like a different dog once you put a loop over his nose
And make sure you work hard on recall - walks are much more fun if you can let them off the lead. As above training and socialisation are also massive factors to allow this as well. We found a local enclosed dog field for the early days so that we could let him run whilst we worked on it
Be aware - Working cockers and Springers are energetic and mental breeds, they just never stop. But their personalities are amazing
Lots of evidence saying to limit walks to 5 minutes per month of age for the first year - so 3 x 15 minute walks a day at 3 months, 3 x 20 at 4 months etc. Allows their bones time to grow and join up. You WILL need to stimulate them mentally until you can up their physical exercise as they are very clever and inquisitive dogs
Decide on the rules that you want to implement from the start and stick to them. Ours is allowed on sofas but does not go upstairs (baby gate at bottom of steps) and sleeps downstairs in his crate quite happily - when it's bedtime we tell him to get his blanket and he picks it up and takes it into his bed before we shut the door and say good night
Spaniels are notorious pullers on lead and though we have tried we cannot get ours out of the habit (2 year old working cocker). Harnesses are not the best solution as they allow them to build their power up. Best solution that we have found is a figure of eight lead - he's like a different dog once you put a loop over his nose
And make sure you work hard on recall - walks are much more fun if you can let them off the lead. As above training and socialisation are also massive factors to allow this as well. We found a local enclosed dog field for the early days so that we could let him run whilst we worked on it
Be aware - Working cockers and Springers are energetic and mental breeds, they just never stop. But their personalities are amazing
Lots of evidence saying to limit walks to 5 minutes per month of age for the first year - so 3 x 15 minute walks a day at 3 months, 3 x 20 at 4 months etc. Allows their bones time to grow and join up. You WILL need to stimulate them mentally until you can up their physical exercise as they are very clever and inquisitive dogs
edthedead said:
Thanks for the replies... Dad will be a working cocker. The insurance comments are interesting, brought by many seems to cover dental and comes in at about £35 pm for 15k of cover (lifetime), or they do a fixed for life with 7k cover pa for £54, again lifetime but with a maximum claim total of 20k over the life of the policy. I was thinking the fixed for life one wasn't worth it but having seen the above am now wondering if it is! Works out at £7776 over 12 years for up to £20,000 of cover....
I guess it's how long is a piece of string, but would I be likely to spend over 7k on vets over 12 years??
You could very easily spend 7k over 12 years if one bad thing happens or a couple of smaller things. We had a puppy that essentially fell on a stick he was carrying end first and went down his throat and out the side of his neck. The bill and resulting treatment just from that would have wiped that £7k out in one year! I guess it's how long is a piece of string, but would I be likely to spend over 7k on vets over 12 years??
Another of our dogs had a longer term issue that required tablets every month at a decent amount of money which, had he lived longer, would have certainly started to tot up.
It’s a tough one as you could also have a hassle free dog. We have toyed with not insuring our next one and just saving a similar amount each month in a bank.
If you take this approach, you might need to have a rational, pragmatic mind at certain times - if my dog was getting on in years and had had a good life, I wouldn’t spend thousands on thousands for things like chemotherapy and after treatment - I would make them comfortable until it was ‘the right time.’
Certain breeds also have common medical issues so worth researching what your breed can suffer from over its life and this might determine whether fixed price life plan is a sound investment!
Pieman68 said:
Early days you will probably encounter a lot of mouthing as the teething element sets is - we found that freezing appropriate fruits and vegetables (carrot sticks are your friend here) was a massive help
Decide on the rules that you want to implement from the start and stick to them. Ours is allowed on sofas but does not go upstairs (baby gate at bottom of steps) and sleeps downstairs in his crate quite happily - when it's bedtime we tell him to get his blanket and he picks it up and takes it into his bed before we shut the door and say good night
Spaniels are notorious pullers on lead and though we have tried we cannot get ours out of the habit (2 year old working cocker). Harnesses are not the best solution as they allow them to build their power up. Best solution that we have found is a figure of eight lead - he's like a different dog once you put a loop over his nose
And make sure you work hard on recall - walks are much more fun if you can let them off the lead. As above training and socialisation are also massive factors to allow this as well. We found a local enclosed dog field for the early days so that we could let him run whilst we worked on it
Be aware - Working cockers and Springers are energetic and mental breeds, they just never stop. But their personalities are amazing
Lots of evidence saying to limit walks to 5 minutes per month of age for the first year - so 3 x 15 minute walks a day at 3 months, 3 x 20 at 4 months etc. Allows their bones time to grow and join up. You WILL need to stimulate them mentally until you can up their physical exercise as they are very clever and inquisitive dogs
Any recommendation on the figure of 8? We have a 11month Springer X and he can be a nightmare on his harness if he is excited. Decide on the rules that you want to implement from the start and stick to them. Ours is allowed on sofas but does not go upstairs (baby gate at bottom of steps) and sleeps downstairs in his crate quite happily - when it's bedtime we tell him to get his blanket and he picks it up and takes it into his bed before we shut the door and say good night
Spaniels are notorious pullers on lead and though we have tried we cannot get ours out of the habit (2 year old working cocker). Harnesses are not the best solution as they allow them to build their power up. Best solution that we have found is a figure of eight lead - he's like a different dog once you put a loop over his nose
And make sure you work hard on recall - walks are much more fun if you can let them off the lead. As above training and socialisation are also massive factors to allow this as well. We found a local enclosed dog field for the early days so that we could let him run whilst we worked on it
Be aware - Working cockers and Springers are energetic and mental breeds, they just never stop. But their personalities are amazing
Lots of evidence saying to limit walks to 5 minutes per month of age for the first year - so 3 x 15 minute walks a day at 3 months, 3 x 20 at 4 months etc. Allows their bones time to grow and join up. You WILL need to stimulate them mentally until you can up their physical exercise as they are very clever and inquisitive dogs
Someone at our dog training recommended one of these https://www.companyofanimals.co.uk/product/halti-o...
Challo said:
Any recommendation on the figure of 8? We have a 11month Springer X and he can be a nightmare on his harness if he is excited.
Someone at our dog training recommended one of these https://www.companyofanimals.co.uk/product/halti-o...
We just got a soft rope one from Amazon - tried the Optifit and found it a real pain tbhSomeone at our dog training recommended one of these https://www.companyofanimals.co.uk/product/halti-o...
Ours is a simple rope that has a small metal figure 8 that goes under his chin so that you can put the loop over the nose. Dead simple - was about £15
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